Police in Iraq say at least eight people have been killed in bomb blasts in Baghdad. The three attacks hit a busy market in the Shurja area of the city as people were shopping on the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha. Extra security measures are in place across Iraq for the holiday period.
At least seven people are reported to have been killed in a suicide bombing near a mosque in northern Afghanistan. A second bomber was disarmed before he could detonate his device. No one has admitted responsibility, but the Afghan government said initial investigations suggest the Taliban carried out the attack.
Pope Benedict has called for an end to violence in northeastern Nigeria, where up to 100 people are believed to have been killed in a wave of shootings and bombings. The Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram said it carried out the attacks on police stations. The Pope said the perpetrators had tried to create divisions.
"I am following with great concern the tragic events of recent days in Nigeria. And as I pray for the victims, I ask everyone to put a stop to the violence, which does not resolve problems but increases them, spreading hate and division even amongst those who have faith."
A grenade attack on a church compound in eastern Kenya has killed two people and injured several others. Another grenade thrown nearby at the entrance to a military base in the town of Garissa failed to explode.
World News from the BBC